It is, of course, generally known to provide adapters for increasing connectivity and/or functionality of computing devices. Typical computer I/O currently utilized include USB cables and connectors as well as Firewire cables and connectors for connecting peripherals to a computing device. Thunderbolt™ has recently been developed by Intel® and is starting to be used in most Apple® computers for connecting to high-speed peripherals and high resolution displays. Indeed, Thunderbolt™ is touted by Apple Computers as the next generation connectivity, allowing the freedom of USB with the robustness of PCI Express technology, which is typically used to connect all high performance components in an Apple Mac computer.
Thunderbolt™ is particularly useful because it provides two channels of connectivity, with up to 10 Gbps data transfer through each channel. Thus, the Thunderbolt™ connector is rated as twenty times faster than typical USB 2.0 and twelve times faster than Firewire. Therefore, it is generally known that one may daisy chain together multiple high performance peripherals through a single Thunderbolt™ port, while maintaining maximum throughput and without sacrificing quality.
However, while Thunderbolt™ offers superior connectivity and data transfer ability, there are still many devices that do not have Thunderbolt™ connectivity and must typically rely on older technology, such as devices that utilize SAS/SATA connectivity, including eSATA connectivity and miniSAS connectivity. Many peripheral devices utilize SAS/SATA connectivity and are, generally, heretofore not able to easily and efficiently connect to a computing device via Thunderbolt™ connectivity. A need, therefore, exists for a multi-use adapter module for adapting peripheral devices having SAS/SATA connectivity, or other connectivity, through Thunderbolt™ connectivity.
Moreover, because Thunderbolt™ allows a large amount of data streaming through its two channels, many peripheral devices may be connected through Thunderbolt™ ports without sacrificing performance and without limiting data transfer. However, because of the difficulty in connecting non-Thunderbolt™ devices to Thunderbolt™ ports, it is difficult to take advantage of the large data transfer capacity through Thunderbolt™ ports. Therefore, a need exists for a multi-use adapter for adapting several peripheral devices having SAS/SATA, or other connectivity, through Thunderbolt™ ports to take advantage of Thunderbolt™ data transfer abilities.
Computing devices typically have hard drive storage capabilities, utilizing, generally, standard 3.5 inch hard drive enclosures. These hard drives have serious limitations, in that each typically utilizes a spinning disk for reading and writing data thereon. Because the storage process is largely mechanical, there may be a large incidence of mechanical problems leading to errors that may be introduced into data. If the mechanical failure is sufficiently extreme, the drive may simply cease to function, and an individual may lose the ability to read and/or write data to the disk.
Recently, solid state drives have begun to replace so-called standard hard disks. Solid state drives provide superior data transfer, while not utilizing mechanical means for reading from and writing to the drive. Therefore, solid state drives are less susceptible to mechanical malfunction. However, typical computers are not equipped to easily house solid state drives, as special controllers and connectivity are typically required. A need, therefore, exists for a storage module containing one or more solid state drives that may be utilized through existing typical hard disk hard drive technology.
In addition, RAID storage modules are generally known to provide a storage solution for computing devices having vast amounts of storage capability. RAID, standing for “redundant array of independent disks” or “redundant array of inexpensive disks” is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit. Data is distributed across the drives in one of several ways called “RAID levels”, depending on what level of redundancy and performance (via parallel communication) is required. Generally, RAID is now used as an umbrella term for computer data storage schemes that can divide and replicate data among multiple physical drives. The physical drives are said to be in a RAID array, which is accessed by the operating system as one single drive.
However, as solid state drives come into the fore as the preferred hard drive technology, it is useful to be able to capitalize on the superior quality of solid state storage in a RAID array, much like traditional disks have been able to. However, there is no easy mechanism for incorporating solid state drives into typical RAID arrays, as typical RAID arrays are generally designed to accept the traditional 3.5 inch hard drive. A need, therefore, exists for utilizing RAID array technology for solid state drive technology, incorporating the solid state drive technology into traditional 3.5 inch drive encasements.